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A few comments about the streets here. The roads are
in pretty bad shape, I definitely wouldn't want to try
driving a Ferrari around here, the bottom would be
scraped off in 3 blocks. SUVs are quite popular here,
with good reason. As for sidewalks, as I mentioned
before the right of way is NOT pedestrians so
sidewalks are few and far between. When you find one
it's not likely to be in very good shape. However, I
haven't been downtown in the shopping district yet so
I reserve the right to revise that statement later. I
have be informed about a used book store that sells
and trades used English books. Hopefully I will be
able to keep my self in literature for a while that
way.
Parking is open to interpretation, yes there are marked stalls at the banks and stores, but if it is full any curb will do. Sometimes they just park sideways behind the other cars, I haven't seen what happens when the other person returns to their blocked car yet. Most parking for stores is directly in front of the entrance, usually blocking any walk space, sometimes you have to almost walk in the street to pass by. Getting a taxi is insanely easy, there seems to be 1 taxi for every 10 cars. You just stand at the curb and wave when you see one coming. There are 2 types of cabs, the "official" ones which have a yellow triangle on the side and the pirate cabs. You either negotiate a price before you get in or ask them to use the meter. The cost to go anywhere is usually less than 1500 colones, about $6 CDN (although I haven't tried any longtrips to Escazu yet). I have only encountered one that actually has working seatbelts. The drivers obviously can't see the road markings, I have seen taxis pass other cars on the right wherever there is room and on the left on residential streets. So far I have encountered two drivers that take a relatively direct route to the place I am going. Most of them wind their way through downtown, up and down streets until I am utterly lost and hoping they know where they are going. Taxis will honk at you from behind as you are walking, I think it is to ask if you want a ride, it's a little unnerving. All drivers honk their horns, all the time, I am starting to wonder if there is an unwritten rule of the road that says you cannot go on a green light until someone honks at you. It seems that everyone here drives, even though a vehicle here is about double the cost of what we pay in Canada, so if you are willing to drive all the away down here you could sell your car and pay for your trip then buy a new one when you get back. Most of the cars are quite new, those that aren't are in extremely good repair. I understand that gasoline is a bit less expensive, running around 150 colones ($0.65 CDN). U turns are common so not only do you have to look out for speeders but watch out for those cars and truck turning around quickly. The drivers here have no reservations about using their horns, especially the taxis. There are few more things I am going to have to get used to, vehicle laws and rules are a little different here. For instance it is not too strange to see someone riding a horse along the street, and it's not a police horse. I usually see the police horses in the park in the morning on my walk to work. Last Friday on my way home through the park there were about 1/2 a dozen horses saddled ready for riders, I guess they rent out horse rides to the kids. Also there doesn't seem to be any bylaws governing cleaning up after pets, horses or dogs. I have seen several cars (especially taxis) go through red lights when there is no traffic coming, yes that freaks me out a bit. In general the people here are pretty sophisticated, there is a National Theatre, Opera House, and well organized tourist industry. One of these weekends I am going to go to the Arenal Volcano which is still active or go on a canopy tour through a cloud forest (sounds kind of adventurous doesn't it?) There are dozens or national parks here, most of the forest is protected. Jaco was fun, and very, very humid. Friday morning the guy in charge of the programmers announced that he was giving us the afternoon off, so we quickly took advantage of it. We rented a Toyota Tercel to get there and were out of town by 2PM. On the way we passed the crocodile infested river, we got lucky and stooped to check it out, there were 23 crocodiles sunning themselves on the banks or lounging in the water (don't worry the bridge is up quite high). Michael told us the most he had ever seen was 4. The town has one main road saturated with restaurants and shops with a few residential streets. After we arrived we went out for dinner and a few drinks. I experienced a drink appropriately called a Tidal Wave and got to have some comfort food, fried cheese sticks ... yum yum. 8AM Saturday morning Lynnethe was knocking at my door ... "hurry up, we will go have breakfast then straight to the beach", she was rather excited. The temperature stayed about 26 - 29 Celsius, and sunny most of the time. It rained a bit at night and one afternoon, but like the typical storms here they passed w/in 1/2 an hour. The sand is very fine and the waves were big enough for a few surfers to be out. It was a holiday weekend so there were quite a few people, Ticos and foreigners were all over the beach, shopping in the surfboard stores, and wandering all over the roads. Jaco seems to be the one place where the pedestrian or cyclist has control of the roads. Michael and Lynnethe are excellent tour guides, they know quite a bit about the area and were very happy to show it off to us. I guess they go here a couple times a year, Lynnethe's grandmother lives in the area too. We had a great dinner on Saturday night with a few of Lynnethe's friends who were also in town for the weekend. We did try to go to Chatty Cathy's for lunch on Sunday, unfortunately they were temporarily closed. On the trip back we stopped at a well-known fast food place (I don't remember the name) the specializes in dishes made from corn. It was pretty good for fast food. I think the next time I go to Jaco I will try the surfing, something I've never done, and probably warmer than trying it at Tofino! Of course I saw a couple horses and a truck on the beach too, that sure woke me up from my nap. I am told that the postal system is not as advanced as the rest of the country. Delivery is sporadic and it's NOT a good idea to send an unregistered package, always have something that you can use to claim you stuff. I have received my first piece of mail, a lovely card from my sister. Fortunately she sent it to my office as I haven't figured out where to pick up my mail at home yet. Banking has been a bit of a nightmare, surprising for a country with so many banks. As mentioned before I couldn't open a bank account without a utility bill in addition to my passport. I can easily cash my paycheque at the bank it was issued (local bank), but can't pay my VISA there. I went to ScotiaBank to see if it could be paid there, they said go to Bank of San Jose. So I went to Bank of San Jose and they said I could only pay it in Canada. What the?!? I decided to call VISA and ask if they knew how I could do this, especially as I am doing everything in cash until I have a chequing account. In trying to do so I discovered that not only is my home phone long distance restricted (it's in the landlady's name), I can't even make a collect call. Don't worry, I'm sure that I will figure something out, VISA will make sure they get paid. :) Because of this I have been considering getting a cell phone, although I am told it can take up to a year to get a cell phone number, I'll have to check that out. Apparently there is a move to deregulate the telephone company, allowing other companies to provide services, that may happen in a couple months, if it does I will definitely take advantage of it. Actually the phone is just plain restricted to Costa Rica, I can't call collect anywhere and you can't even phone me from outside the country. I should tell you about some of the customs here. They are taking a little getting used to. At first it sounds very civilized, the men always allow the women to go first, open doors for them, purchase their dinner, etc. But after a while it gets a little creepy. I guess I will just have to get used to that. Another thing is how they greet each other. In addition to a handshake they will lean in and lay their cheeks together and kiss the air beside their ears. It's like something out of a Hollywood movie, only they only kiss on one side. I guess that a full hug is uncomfortable in the heat and, since they are Latin American, a handshake is not sufficient. Although, I haven't seen two men do it, just women and women & men. Every morning the Bread Lady comes to our office, I don't really know her real name. She brings freshly baked breads, sweet plain, caramel and pineapple, guava filled, cheese, etc. I have been trying to resist this past week, as I am sure that my waistline has begun to expand, but it is very difficult. The bread is a very cheap and tasty breakfast (around 150 - 200 colones, $0.65 - $0.90 CDN). |
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